The Pepperdine Student Government Association (SGA) senate reviews plans for the town hall in the Howard A. White Center (HAWC) on Feb. 18. Class presidents should encourage their classes to stay for the cornhole tournament even if they are not participating, said Adriana Cañas, vice president of administration. Photos by Oliver Evans
The Pepperdine Student Government Association (SGA) passed several motions at its Feb. 18 meeting and held its third committee meeting of the semester.
SGA passed a general funds request for the Waves Private Equity Association (WPA) and a resolution that sent a list of new snacks for Nature’s Edge to Bon Appétit management at Pepperdine. The committee meetings this week discussed marketing rival athletic games, opening a stand where meal points can be used at Waves Market and creating potential new shuttle routes.
“Be it further resolved that the Dining Committee has the full support of the SGA Senate in sending this list to get it done for the students,” Senior Class President Julian Moghaddasi said.
SGA Amends and Passes WPA Funds Request
SGA awarded $214 to WPA with the passing of the second general funds request of the semester. The funds would allow WPA to acquire a website domain and maintain a website. The website proposed by the general funds request would provide key resources and promote internships, according to the meeting agenda.
“We’re trying to transition to fully online because it is more flexible for teaching students, and they can do it on their own time,” said William Di Clemente, WPA founder and president.
A precedent needs to be established that clubs should first ask the Inter-Club Council (ICC) for funding, Freshmen Class Senator Elijah Ahmadi said. Several times now, an organization has come to SGA before ICC, and SGA has had to instruct the club to speak to ICC first.
“The ICC board probably would say no to something like this,” SGA Advisor Danielle Minke said. “Out of concern for what it means for the future, are they going to continue coming back for money for this? How is this actually going to come back to the students?”
On Oct. 6, WPA will return to SGA to request the website be re-funded, according to the meeting agenda.
“Our mission is to provide more networking and internship opportunities for the community,” said Di Clemente.
Nature’s Edge Snacks Resolution
SGA passed a new resolution that sent a list of new snacks for Nature’s Edge to Bon Appétit with the full support of the senate to “get this done,” according to the meeting agenda. Among the snacks sent through the resolution are Arizona Iced Teas and PopCorners.
“Through this survey, we got a lot of responses,” Moghaddasi said. “It was really hard to go through, because a lot of students put 30 snacks in one answer.”
The Google Form was shared exclusively through social media because SGA can only send a limited number of mass emails, Freshmen Class Senator Maya Sandoval said.
“The president of the senior class, Julian [Moghaddasi], has a very good relationship with the Bon Appétit workers,” Sandoval said. “That’s why we’re able to communicate faster and more efficiently.”
The list was initially supposed to be six to eight snacks, but after a great conversation during the last meeting of committees, Bon Appétit asked for a list of 20 new snacks, Moghaddasi said.
“If there is other stuff in a few months, we will send it again,” Moghaddasi said.
There are a few items on the list that are already or have been previously available at Nature’s Edge, Moghaddasi said. Bon Appétit said to include them anyway so these items can be re-ordered in the future.
SGA committees meet in the HAWC for the third time this semester. The Health and Wellness Committee is still drafting a resolution for the semester, Vice President Jacqueline Justiss said.
Committee Meetings
Matthew Rosato, director of marketing and events for Pepperdine Athletics, met with the SGA Athletics Committee over Zoom during the meeting.
“We’re really trying to brand the Penn State game on March 11,” Ahmadi said.
The Men’s Volleyball game against Stanford on April 11 is a faith-and-family night, meaning it’s a convocation, Ahmadi said. The Athletics Committee is trying to get a chapel credit assigned to the game to get people to show up.
“We’re really going to try to market, we’re going to try to paint the rock,” Ahmadi said.
The Athletics Committee is trying to get Willie the Wave involved in marketing by having him attend Elkins Auditorium classes and talk to professors, Junior Class Senator Giselle Belafonte said.
Additionally, the Dining Services Committee is working to resolve the concern that students are unable to use their meal points at Waves Market, Sandoval said.
“We’re currently working on adding a tent to the Waves Market,” Sandoval said. “Basically, what that would entail is it’s like a mini grocery market, and we’ve come up with a list of fruits, vegetables, breads, and possibilities of jams, eggs, nuts.”
This will not be an SGA senate resolution but a direct collaboration between the Dining Services Committee and Bon Appétit, enabled by a relationship facilitated by the Senior Class President, Julian Moghaddasi.
“The [Waves] Café has been offered a tent at Waves Market numerous times,” Sophomore Class Senator Alexa Babakitis said. “They’ve just declined it because they don’t really know what to do with the tent.”
The purpose now would be to offer students a place where they can spend their meal points on whole foods, Babakitis said.
“With the Health and Wellness Committee, we’re figuring out ways that SGA could produce a big event, finding ways to collaborate with both SWAB and RISE,” Vice President Jacqueline Justiss said.
One event under consideration is hosting a joint tabling day with the Student Wellness Advisory Board (SWAB), Justiss said. Additionally, SGA is considering hosting an event similar to last year’s pickleball tournament to promote SGA.
The Student Life Committee is working on improvements to the University’s various shuttles, Sophomore Class President Emily Espinoza said. The committee was considering a church shuttle, an additional LAX shuttle to bring students back from winter break and another shopping shuttle to the Target in Westlake Village.
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Contact Oliver Evans via email: oliver.evans@pepperdine.edu